The present invention relates to a composite crimped yarn comprising at least two kinds of multifilament yarns and a woven fabric prepared therefrom, and more particularly, to a composite crimped yarn which can be woven into a fabric having a suitable stretching property capable of improving the sewability while enjoying puffiness and koshi (stiffness) and hari (anti-drape stiffness) similar to those of a woven wool fabric and a drapability inherent in the polyester filament yarn, and a woven fabric prepared therefrom.
As compared with other synthetic fibers, a polyester filament yarn is featured by a less liability to creasing and an excellent adaptability to pleating. An effort has been made to apply a polyester filament yarn having the above-described properties to the fields of suits, bottoms (for example trousers and skirts), etc., where moderately thick or thick wool woven fabrics are extensively used. For the time being, the intention of preparing a polyester woven fabric having a texture close to that of the wool woven fabric, that is, puffiness and koshi and hari, has to be attained by the "woolie" processing method wherein polyester filament yarns are subjected to false twisting and a method wherein two kinds of polyester filament yarns different from each other in the properties are subjected to composite false twisting. However, the development has been further advanced and an attempt has been made not only to bring the texture of the woven polyester fabric close to that of the woven wool fabric but also to impart a drapability inherent in the polyester filament which the woven wool fabric cannot exhibit. As a result, a technique as described in Japanese patent publication No. 61-19733 has been developed.
This method for imparting not only puffiness and koshi and hari similar to those of the woven wool fabric but also a drapability inherent in the polyester filament comprises doubling two kinds of undrawn yarns or partially drawn yarns of polyester filaments different from each other in the elongation, subjecting the doubled yarns to composite false twisting and forming a woven fabric from the resultant composite crimped yarn, wherein the composite crimped yarn is previously subjected to additional twisting. In the twisted composite crimped yarn, when the number of twists (additional twisting) is increased, a core-sheath structure having a two layer structure wherein a multifilament yarn as the outer layer is randomly wound round another multifilament yarn as the inner layer, and curved monofilaments having a size of several microns to several tens of microns are allowed to exist on the outer surface. Therefore, when a fabric is woven out of this composite crimbed yarn, not only puffiness is imparted to the woven fabric but also drapability is imparted through an increase in the density of the multifilament yarn derived from additional twisting.
Although the composite crimped yarn comprising the conventional core-sheath structure imparts puffiness and drapability to the woven fabric, the development of crimping of the multifilament yarn in the core portion is restrained by the twisting applied for the purpose of imparting the drapability, so that the stretching property lowers to a great extent unfavorably. Therefore, when a moderately thick or thick fabric is woven out of the composite crimped yarn, the stretching property becomes so insufficient that the tension of sewing yarn cannot be absorbed during sewing. This gives rise to the occurrence of a crease called "puckering" at the seam, which worsens the tailorability.